Hi all. I’m going to carve out some time during today’s small group meetings to address this, but I just wanted to make everyone knows about it just in case they don’t attend.
Several GEDMatch users have reported on social media that GEDMatch was hacked this morning, July 19. Users discovered kits they manage that were opted out of law enforcement access were opted in after the hack. Additionally, they noticed new kits in their match lists that appear different than the kits they were use to seeing. The site has been down for most of the morning and when folks are able to log in, they are having to opt all of their kits out of law enforcement access again.
To my knowledge, GEDMatch has not alerted it’s users to this at all. Folks are only finding out about it through the various Facebook groups.
Again, I strongly encourage you to remove your information from the site. I’ve written on this extensively.
- You Want What? I’ll Pass. – Genealogists are super excited about how genealogy is now being used to catch criminals. But have we REALLY taken the time to look at all sides of this new and complex industry?
- It Was Always More Than Just an Email – Aren’t folks making a big gamble if the service they’re using to identify criminals won’t even guarantee the info it provides?
- Fat Meat is Indeed Greasy – A legislator in Maryland has responded to the use of commercial DNA results in criminal cases. And I’m here for it ALL day.
The largest DNA companies (AncestryDNA and 23andMe) have come out very vocally about their lack of support in law enforcement access to their DNA systems while FamilyTree DNA freely allows access to law enforcement.
Please make informed decisions. Once you leave the wheelhouse of the company website you can potentially expose you and your family to things outside your control.
Edited to add official statements from GEDMatch.